1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for the early detection of insect infestation of trees, and particularly to an acoustic chamber for detection of insects that provides an acoustic chamber around the trunk of a tree, the chamber being equipped with acoustic sensors and monitoring equipment for the detection of insect infestation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Insects, such as red palm weevils (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus), are the cause of considerable destruction of natural resources, primarily through infestation of trees and plants. When red palm weevils initially infest a tree, the insects dig tunnels into the tree trunk, burrowing into the soft, central portion of the trunk. Once the central portion of the trunk is reached, the insects and their larvae begin ingesting the trunk from the inside, eventually leaving a mostly hollow tree trunk, thus killing the tree.
Such infestation is generally not noted from visual inspection alone until the tree is already dead or close to dying. Thus, it is necessary to be able to detect the infestation of the wood during the initial tunneling stage of the insects.
Laboratory acoustic tests have shown that insects' activities within the wood can be monitored through detection of acoustic signals generated by the insects. Various steps in the infestation process, such as eating, moving, spinning and digestion have been monitored and have each been found to generate a unique acoustic signal or signature, which may be monitored and analyzed. In a large-scale agricultural environment, such as a tree farm, the ambient noise unfortunately makes the detection and analysis of such signals extremely difficult. There is a need for a device that can be used for acoustic monitoring of insect activity in environmental settings that provides a signal-to-noise ratio comparable to that which can be obtained in the laboratory in order to provide for early detection of insect infestation in trees, particularly in commercially valuable trees.
Thus, an acoustic chamber for detection of insects solving the aforementioned problems is desired.